Vicki Schmidt (born September 15, 1955) is an American politician who is currently the Kansas Insurance Commissioner. She was a Republican member of the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of about 73,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

, representing the 20th district, from 2005 to 2019. She also served as the Senate Assistant Majority Leader from 2009 to 2012, and from 2017 to 2019. She was elected Kansas Insurance Commissioner in 2018, and reelected in 2022.

Early life

Schmidt attended

Wichita South High School Wichita South High School, known locally as South, is a public secondary school in Wichita, Kansas. It is operated by Wichita USD 259 school district and serves students in grades 9 to 12. It is also known as Wichita High School South. The schoo ...

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

, where she met her future husband. After high school, she attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

and graduated from the school's pharmacy program.

Kansas Senate

In the Kansas Senate, Schmidt served as chairwoman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations, and the State Employee Pay Plan Oversight Committee. Additionally, she served on the Health Care Stabilization Fund Oversight Committee, and the education, financial institutions and insurance, transportation committees.

Kansas Department of Insurance

Schmidt was elected Kansas Insurance Commissioner in 2018, and reelected in 2022, where she received the highest percentage of the vote of any statewide candidate. In October 2023, Schmidt announced a reduction of producer licensing fees for 2024. It is estimated that these reductions will be reduced by a total of $1.2 million. The department has staff who regularly assists Kansans answer insurance-related questions and resolve insurance issues. This includes assisting individuals with previously denied claims. During 2023, the department assisted with recovering $16 million for Kansas policyholders with disputes with their insurance companies. 2023 marks the largest single-year recovery in the history of the department. Since the beginning of Schmidt's tenure as commissioner in 2019, the department has recovered $35 million in total. In 2024, the department recovered $11.8 million for Kansas policyholders In early 2024, Schmidt introduced legislation to protect Kansas investors, including the Protect Vulnerable Adults from Financial Exploitation Act, which was signed into law. As of July 1, 2024, the new law strengthened the ability of Kansas Department of Insurance and financial advisers to protect seniors and vulnerable adults from financial abuse and fraud. Various organizations, including financial adviser firms and

AARP AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those 50 and older. The organization, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., said it had more than 38 ...

supported the legislation. In April 2025, pieces of legislation introduced by the department to eliminate regulatory fees, lower the premium tax, and reduce the cost of doing business in Kansas were signed into law.

Personal life

In May 2023, Schmidt was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

following a routine

mammogram Mammography (also called mastography; DICOM modality: MG) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer ...

. She underwent surgery and radiation treatments, and became cancer free in September. Following her battle with cancer, Schmidt continuously encouraged other women in Kansas to undergo routine mammogram screenings.

References

External links

Schmidt's campaign website

Ballotpedia
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Vicki 1955 births 21st-century members of the Kansas Legislature 21st-century American women politicians Kansas insurance commissioners Republican Party Kansas state senators Living people Politicians from Topeka, Kansas University of Kansas alumni Women state legislators in Kansas Women state constitutional officers of Kansas